Buckhead CID approves installation of surveillance cameras

The Buckhead Community Improvement District on Oct. 25 approved a proposal from the Texas-based firm Iron Sky, which is the company behind the surveillance cameras in Sandy Springs, to install 16 cameras around Buckhead. The program, known as Operation Shield, will include 14 pan and zoom cameras and two fixed position cameras for the foot bridge pathway of a planned pedestrian bridge.

The cost of the cameras is $140,000 from the Buckhead CID which includes hardware and software installation and a one-year service agreement. The Atlanta Police Foundation will also pay $70,000 for the cameras, the Buckhead CID reported.

It’s a surveillance network that would tie into the city of Atlanta’s new Video Integration Center.

Bob Carter, general manager for Iron Sky in Georgia, said the company would be able to log into all the systems in the Alanta area. The company currently has cameras in high profile Atlanta locations like Atlantic Station and Midtown.

Buckhead CID Chairman David Allman said he expects good things from the surveillance program.

“We believe this is a state-of-the-art, world-class system that will make Buckhead and Atlanta safer,” he said after the board unanimously approved the contract for the cameras. “We think it’ll be a deterrent.”

Once the Buckhead CID and Iron Sky execute the purchase order, the camera will be operational in about 12 weeks, according to a timetable provided by the company.

Executive Director Jim Durrett said he understands the privacy concerns some residents might have about the cameras, but he said the benefits of having the cameras in place are worth it.

According to maps provided by the Buckhead CID, the cameras will go up on strategic locations on Roswell and Piedmont Roads and around Lenox Road.